23 IT Certifications That Mean Higher Pay

Looking for IT certifications that deliver more bang for your buck? Well, here they are. These IT certs are commanding premium pay from employers and promise to be hot in the coming year.

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Thu, September 06, 2012

CIO — Certifications are a great way to show the IT industry employers, peers and recruiters that you are up to date and knowledgeable on the given topic and, in some cases, that can equate directly to more money in your pocket. But which certifications offer the most potential earnings and will be in demand over the coming years?

The Foote Research Group just released its quarterly 2012 IT Skills Demand and Pay Trends Report and its CEO David Foote spoke with CIO.com about how you can use certifications to get employers to show you the money.

More and more companies are holding out for the IT pro who has the perfect skillset, which makes the certifications listed here among the most profitable due to industry demand. People with these certifications are getting paid a premium over what others in the same role without the certification are receiving. Premium skills pay is what Foote calls, "An additional monetary compensation or skills premium tied specifically to a certification [or skill]." Premium skills pay for the 23 certifications listed below is based upon a percentage of base salary. We've separated the list into three tiers from the lowest to highest. Let's take a look.

8-13 Percent Premium Added to Your Base Pay

The certifications in this first category come in with a premium skills pay of 8-13 percent of base salary. Many of these certifications fall into the intermediate range and are accessible to the average IT person.

Security Certifications

Related Story: 12 IT Certifications That Deliver Career Advancement

Architecture/Project Management/Process Certifications

  • Risk Management Professional (PMI)
    Prerequisite:
    • A bachelor's or the equivalent, at least 3,000 hours of project risk management experience and 30 hours of project risk management education.
      • or
    • A high school diploma or equivalent and at least 4,500 hours of project risk management experience and 40 hours of project risk management education.
  • IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Expert Certification
    Prerequisite:
    • All candidates must hold the ITIL Foundation certificate or a Bridge qualification equivalent.
    • A total of 17 credits minimum must be earned from Foundation and Intermediate modules.
    • The "Managing Across the Lifecycle" module must be taken and passed once 17 credits have been earned.
  • Microsoft Certified Architect
    Prerequisite—Candidates will generally have ten or more years of IT experience, and five or more years of specific architectural experience.

Database Certifications

Networking and Communications Certifications

Systems Administration & Engineering Certifications

  • HP/Master Accredited Solutions Expert (MASE)
    Prerequisite —No prerequisites are required for this certification.
  • HP/Master Accredited Systems Engineer (Master ASE)
    Prerequisite —This certification is now called HP/Master Accredited Solutions Expert or MASE. There are no formal prerequisites for this certification.

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